Newport, RI, USA - Hotel (Marriott)

These notes refer to the Marriott, Newport Rhode Island. They are intended as guidance to wheelchair users or disabled travellers thinking of using this hotel. They do not address general service issues which are more than adequately covered in reviews on other sites such as this one.


There is level access from street level to a front lobby. Reception is up one floor, and there is a long ramp to the elevator from the front door. (It is actually easy to enter from the parking lot, as that door brings you directly to the elevators). Once at reception, there is level access to the restaurant, bar and shop. I was directed to a room on the same level as reception, down a long corridor with a carpet that had a pile that was difficult to roll-on.

My room (double, accessible, bath) had a bit too much furniture for the size but it was still possible to get around. The work desk was a good size, easy to access, and all plugs were at desk height and easily reached. Wired Internet (extra charge) did not work at first but a visit from a service person determined that the plug at the desk level was not working, and he plugged directly to the difficult to access wall point instead. Closet was a high and difficult to hang and remove clothes. Air conditioning controls were on the wall and could be reached from a chair. TV controls were by the TV and easy to reach. Room light switches were easy to reach, but not from the bed. The bed was a good height and easy to transfer in and out of.

The bathroom was a comfortable size. Plenty of knee room under the sink. Mirror was not tilted and was ok for viewing head and shoulders but not much else. Toilet was standard height (not raised) with well positioned grab-rails. My room had a bath. Grab rails were well positioned. Shower hose was fixed to the wall and directed at a very poor angle. I was unable to adjust it. Water controls were easy to reach while sitting in bath. Towels were left at an easy height to reach.

All in all, the room was an average ADA accessible room with some annoyances (e.g. the closet). Access into and out of the hotel, including the long trip to the room, would make me avoid this hotel on future visits. Service, staff and restaurant were excellent.

Hamburg, Germany - Hotel (IBIS Hamburg Alster)

These notes refer to the IBIS Hamburg Alster and are intended to assist other wheelchair users or handicapped travelers considering staying at this hotel. This review addresses only issues related to access. For general information and reviews about this hotel go to tripadvisor.

The hotel is situated close to the centre of Hamburg, a few meters from the Alster river. Access to the hotel is level from the street pavement through automatic doors. There is no curb cut in the pavement outside the hotel, so if you arrive by taxi you will need some assistance to mount the curb. Inside, the lobby, bar and restaurant are all on one level and access is easy. There is a handicapped toilet off the lobby.

The lift (elevator) is too narrow to turn in, but quite deep so there is plenty of room. My room was close to the elevator on the first floor (one above ground floor). The room itself was very small and compact and just about big enough to get around. There was really only access to one side of the bed. The workdesk was small but usable. The electric sockets could not be reached easily. Wifi Ethernet (extra charge) worked well. The window was open when I arrived, letting in a lot of noise from the train tracks behind. It is not possible to close and secure the window from a wheelchair.

The bed was a double, and at a comfortable height for transfers. All lights in the room could be controlled from a switch by the bed. The TV controls were left on the bed, and the A/C controls were at a comfortable height. The closet was perfectly positioned for access and use, although it had no door.

The bathroom was large enough to maneuver in – just! Sink was a good size with plenty of knee room underneath. The toilet was beside the sink making transfers on and off a little difficult. A well positioned fold-up handrail provided good support while on the toilet. The shower was a roll-in type with a small plastic fold-up seat attached to the wall. A fold-down grab rail provided stability in the shower. The handrail and shower controls could be reached easily from the shower seat. The shower hose was a hand-held mounted on a rail at a good height. The towels in the bathroom were a little high, but two extra towels were left in the bedroom in an easily accessible location.

IBIS rooms tend to be basic, no-frills type accommodation and some I have stayed in were smaller than this. I would recommend this hotel to wheelchair users, and would stay there again if visiting Hamburg.

Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, Ireland - Hotel (Mount Errigal Hotel)

This entry describes my experiences at the Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny and is intended to assist wheelchair users or disabled travelers considering this hotel. I do not address general features of the hotel - you can find plenty of those reviews here.

Entry to the hotel is via a very steep ramp from the car park. This is more than 1:12, maybe 1:10, and a hefty push to get up it. Once up, entry to the lobby is via automatic doors. Access to the reception desk is up two sets of steps, each set has a ramp to one side for us wheelies. These ramps feel like regulation 1:12 or perhaps slightly less and are manageable. The bar and restaurant area is off to the left. This also has several levels and each one can be accessed through doors from the reception. There is no ramp between levels within the bar/restaurant area itself - you need to go into the reception area to use the ramps to move between levels. The hotel seems to have many levels and all seem to be accessible, but the frequent ramps can be exhausting especially with luggage although staff will help you if you ask.

My room was a handicapped accessible family room. The reason we stayed at the Mount Errigal was because it was the only hotel that has a room available that was both wheelchair accessible and could sleep two adults and two children. The room was large and easy to get around. The two double beds were both accessible with adequate room between them to get the chair between. The workdesk was comfortable and easy to use. Electric sockets were easy to reach in the wall behind at desk height.  The closet made no concession to wheelies and was awkward to use. It contained a fold-out ironing board that I've never come across before, and I was able to use it to iron a couple of shirts with ease (or as much ease as ironing can be!). Bedside light switches were well positioned, but main room lights could not be controlled from the bed. There is no air-conditioning (not really needed in Ireland!) but a heater could be turned on or off easily. The TV controls were easy to reach.

The bathroom was very spacious with plenty of turning space. It had a bath, and was more suited to an ambulant disabled rather than a wheelie. The main thing lacking was appropriately placed grab bars. However, it was usable. The shower hose was handheld, and the rail was fixed to the wall and very high. The sink was tiny - this is a common feature in Irish handicapped rooms and is due to some daft regulation laid down by the authorities. Clearly the people who write the regulations are not actual users. This sink was slightly larger than the usual but still barely bog enough to wash hands or equipment. The toilet was easy to get to with well positioned grab rails. Towels were left at a low level and easy to reach.

To get to my room from reception involved going through a heavy set of doors, a short steep ramp (very steep) to a small lift (elevator). Up to the next floor, up two more ramps (regulation - not too steep) and around two corners over deep carpet. Good for exercise but certainly not conducive to running down to reception to ask a question!

The hotel staff were warm and friendly and the atmosphere was family oriented and relaxed - more genuine than the US chain hotels I'm used to, if quirkier. I would stay there again, although if I was travelling without the kids I would probably check out one of the more modern hotels in Letterkenny.

JFK airport, New York - AirTrain (SkyTrain)

I defy anyone in a wheelchair to get from Terminal 6 in JFK to any other terminal using the AirTrain (sometime called the SkyTrain), without asking for assistance. There are absolutely no signs indicating where to go. You arrive off your plane and head towards the exits. There are signs for baggage claim (don't want that, my bags are checked through), taxis (don't want those, I'm just changing terminals), ground transport (nope, not renting a car or getting a bus) and parking (no - no car here). But for the AirTrain or other terminals? Not a hint. The map is no good either, it is just a map of terminal 6.

If you do ask someone who looks official, they will point you to a door discreetly located past some restaurants, down a narrow corridor and suddenly you are through a double door (locked - but there is a TSA official who will open it for you) into the ticketing area on the land side of security. There you turn right and spot the very tiny sign pointing to elevators to the AirTrain.

Apart from the difficulty in finding it, the AirTrain is very accessible and easy to use. Easy to roll on, plenty of space on-board. The only challenge is trying to figure out which platform to use to get to the terminal you want. The secret is to listen carefully to the announcements as the train enters the station. Be careful. Boarding the wrong train will lose you a lot of time. Once who have boarded, look at the map on board and pay attention to the announcements to reassure yourself you are going the right way.

Sure beats the old JFK where I was once manually carried on some shoulders to get from one terminal to the other, while another person carried my chair!!

LaGuardia, NY - Hotel (Lexington Marco LaGuardia)

This entry describes my experiences at the Lexington Marco LaGuardia Hotel and is intended to assist wheelchair users or disabled travelers considering this hotel.

Entry to the hotel is via a very steep ramp from street level. This is more than 1:12, maybe 1:10, and a hefty push to get up it. Once up, entry to the lobby is via automatic doors. There is a restaurant adjacent to the hotel (the Magna) that is accessible direct from the hotel.

My room (Accessible, two doubles, bath) was large and easy to get around, although the two double beds took up some space. The workdesk was comfortable and spacious. Electric sockets were easy to reach. Closet was easy to access and use. All lights, with the exception of the work-desk lamp could be turned on or off from the bed - a rare touch that I like.

The bathroom was very spacious with plenty of turning space. It had a bath, and was more suited to an ambulant disabled rather than a wheelie. The main thing lacking was appropriately placed grab bars. However, I found it very usable. The sink had knee room underneath, the toilet was easy to get to and not too high. The shower hose was fixed to the wall and very high. Towels were left at a low level and easy to reach.

All in all a decent, comfortable, accessible room located in Chinatown in Queens. I'd stay there again.

Dulles Airport, VA - Aerotrain

Dulles International Airport (IAD), serving Washington D.C., recently unveiled its new Aerotrain for ferrying passengers between terminals. These notes reflect my experience using the train and are intended to assist wheelchair users using IAD. In summary, the train is accessible to wheelchair users, but you need to be careful to get off on the correct side of the train for elevator access. Details below.

The Aerotrain replaces the "moving lounges" that used to be used to go between terminals. These were essentially busses that you could board direct from the terminal. The moving lounge is still used going to and from terminal D and for international arrivals to go to the immigration hall. Terminals A, B and C are served by the Aerotrain.

The Aerotrain runs underground - one line from the main terminal services A and C and another line services B. (You can still walk from the main terminal to terminal B through an underground tunnel).

Access to the train is via elevator. After ticketing you get an elevator to the security area. After passing through security, you take a further elevator to the train platform. Signage is not good, and it can be frustrating trying to find the elevators.

The train is fully accessible, getting on is easy. The train is level with the platform and the gap is small (a few cm, 1.5"). There is plenty of room on-board to park your chair and the ride is comfortable and fast. Where the designers get you is in disembarking at the terminal. You must disembark onto the central platform when you arrive at the terminal. If you don't do this you will find yourself either at a dead end with no way out except an escalator, or facing a long steep ramp which is very difficult to wheel up - especially with luggage. Only the central platform has elevator access. To trick you into disembarking on the wrong side, the doors to the non-central platform open first. You have to wait, hanging grimly to your spot against the tide of frantic humanity that presses off the train, until the doors on the other side of the train open, allowing access to the central platform and the elevators. This is not signed anywhere and I found out only by trial and error and several visits. (If you do end up in a dead end, your only option is to wait for another train and then pass through once both sets of doors are open).

There are significant distances to wheel to and from the Aerotrain so give yourself plenty of time if transferring at IAD.

The Flying Circus 7 - Coping with jet-lag

There is no easy solution for jet lag with the kids. I have read that it takes roughly one day to adjust to a one hour shift in time, and my experience backs this up. As an adult you can do various things (ensure you sleep and wake in the new times as fast as possible, get plenty of sunshine and fresh air during the day in you r new time zone etc.) but your kids won’t do this. They will go to slepp when they are tired (their old bed times) and wake when they’re not (they’re old wake times) and this can really screw up your day. All you can do is try to work them into the new time zone a little bit every day, putting them to bed as close as possible to an appropriate time for your new time zone and insisting they stay there (even if they don’t sleep). Get them into the fresh air and outside as much as possible during the day in your new time zone. Try to maintain a routine as much as possible. It definitely helps if you are staying at the same location (hotel or friends’ house) for the first 3 or 4 nights to establish a routine. Make sure you bring some night-time stuff from home – a favorite teddy, or blanket, or pajamas, and try to keep the same night time routine as you use at home.

Frequently, my wife and I end up staying in the same hotel room as the kids. We learned quickly that they simply will not go to sleep if we are in the room. This has led to several unromantic evenings spent in the bathroom of the hotel room with the lights off waiting for slumber to settle in the bedroom. Nothing like sitting on the toilet sharing a glass of wine with your beloved! If you can afford a suite take it!

The Flying Circus 6 - Landing

A good trick is to give the kids lollipops when descending. This helps the pressur eon their ears and may reduce the discomfort. I have constantly tried to make landing exciting by telling them to prepare for the “bumpity-bumps” and talking about what we can see through thee windows. The result is that this is now the favorite part of the journey for my tiny tots and they laugh themselves silly during landing and decelerating.

As a wheelchair user who needs an aisle chair to dis-embark, you are going to be last off the plane. So just sit back, relax and let everyone else get off first. My wife and the kids usually get off ahead of me and wait on the air-bridge or in the lounge.

Disembarking is the reverse of boarding. The ground staff come with an aisle chair and you have to transfer into it. Again, it’s great if you can do that yourself. If not you need to depend on the sometimes poorly trained ground staff. In Europe it is usually no problem – in the US it is usually a scary and dangerous moment. If you need assistance, insist that at least two people are available. Very often they send just one person with the aisle chair, and they may or may not know what they are doing.

They wheel you off the aircraft and with luck your wheelchair will be waiting for you on the airbridge. Once you are in that you are home and dry and back in control of your destiny. I usually ask for a push to the top of the airbridge (it can be steep) and then dismiss the ground staff as I have found it easier and faster to get through the airport myself. But in a strange airport it can be useful to have someone guide you.

Another circumstance where having a guide is very useful, is if you need to go through passport control at your destination. The guide can usually fast-track you and your family through the lines.

The Flying Circus 5 - Boarding the plane

This is how boarding works when you are traveling in your own wheelchair. Firstly, and most importantly, be at the gate early. Domestic or local flights usually start boarding 20 or 30 minutes before departure time. Long haul usually starts 45 minutes before departure time. Be at the gate ten minutes before boarding starts – at least. As soon as you reach the gate, talk to the personnel on the podium and tell them you need an aisle chair to get on board the plane, and any other assistance you may require. This is essential. It doesn’t matter if the check-in said it would be okay, or if it is written on your ticket. The only person who needs to know is the gate manager, and invariably they never do. I don’t know why. It helps if you can let them know at least 30 or 45 minutes in advance. The other thing you need from the gate agent is a “gate tag” for your wheelchair. This should ensure that you get it on arrival – doesn’t always happen.  

The guys with the aisle chair eventually turn up. Airlines like to board the wheelies first, but this is not always possible. If the plane is re-fueling, or if the ground guys are late, they will start boarding the walkies first. The important thing is to stay close to the gate and ask questions. Once they are ready to board you, you can take your own chair all the way down to the aircraft door. At that point, you transfer from your own chair to the aisle chair (sometimes called a “straight-back”). The aisle chair is a very narrow chair that fits down the aisle of the aircraft. If you need assistance you will need to direct operations and give very clear instructions about what you want to happen.  You kiss your wheelchair goodbye. Make sure there is nothing left on the chair that may fall off – side guards, cushion, back-pack etc. Take everything removable with you onto the aircraft. I just pull everything off and throw it in a heap on the ground and tell the guys that all of that needs to get on-board. At this point you are at the mercy of the handlers. You have no control over the aisle chair as they man handle you on-board. My experience has been that European airports do this really well, and US airports are terrible. It helps if you can make your own transfers. If not, ensure there are two people and that they are trained – ask them. IN the US the invariably are not trained and treat you like a piece of baggage. In Europe they are usually para-medics that know how to safely transfer you from the aisle chair to your seat and vice versa.

It would be really nice if airlines always assigned wheelies to a seat that was easy to get to – near the front, with an arm rest that went up. They don’t. You just have to kind of go with the flow and try to remember that your goal is to get  into a seat – any seat – safely.

Now, add some children into the mix. The good news is that, if the airline is properly organized, they will invite wheelies and their companions to board first. My wife and kids go on board ahead of me, giving them time to get settled and get all the bags organized while I’m transferring to the aisle chair and dismantling my wheelchair. Like going through security, it is better to act as two separate groups at this point. Otherwise, staff will stand back and expect your spouse to carry your bags – and they have enough on their plates with the kids’ paraphernalia. 

A notable exception to all this palaver is the domestic US airline Southwest Airlines. They fly Boeing 737s exclusively, and the particular configuration they use means that I can get to the first row of seats in my own chair (680mm/27.2" wide). You have to do a near 180 degree transfer to get onto the seat but if you can mange that then Southwest is by far the fastest and most efficient boarding system I know.

The Flying Circus 4 - Going through security

Just assume that this is going to be a nightmare and you will not be disappointed.

Plan it out in advance. Discuss it with your partner. Who is going to carry what, who is going to go first etc. etc. Review the plan twice before you get to the line to ensure you both understand what you are going to do. This is how we do it:

-          Spouse walks behind me, with kids in between. Wheelchairs get priority (usually) at security lines, so this allows us to move quickly to the security area as a family.

-          Once at the x-ray scanners, I assist my wife with getting the kids ready: shoes off, coats off, carry-on bags on the belt. She folds the buggy, gets it on the belt, pulls out the little 1-quart baggie with liquids, gels etc. (tow of these – I have one and she has one) until finally my wife and the kids are ready to go through.

-          My wife walks through the x-ray first (and again and again until she no longer beeps). I hold the kids back until she is ready at the other side. Then the kids walk through to her, one by one. Then, and only then, I start getting myself through security.

-          Often, when going through, security will ask if you are travelling alone. I always say yes. If you don’t, they expect your wife to capture and look after all your stuff after it has gone through the x-ray belt. She has enough to do with her own mountain of stuff (see the section on packing!) and the kids!

For a wheelie, going through security always involves a body search. So the routine is to prepare all my bags, remove laptops etc. just like anyone else. I cannot easily remove my shoes and this is usually okay. Although security will ask, and sometimes try to insist, if you are firm about your needs and abilities they will let you keep your shoes on. I don’t use a back-pack on my chair as it wrecks the upholstery, so instead I use a bag that hangs under the chair to carry bits and pieces. My one (from Adaptable®) can be quickly un-clipped and I bought it specifically for security purposes. I have never had any problem bringing medical necessities through such as catheters (even the pre-lubricated type sealed with their own liquid) or urine bottles (I use standard Rubbermaid® 1-litre liquid “serving saver” bottles).  

So once you have all your stuff on the belt, it goes through just like everyone else’s. Then you wait until a security person opens a little gate beside the scanner and waves you through. The body search is pretty thorough and you will be asked to put your arms out to each side, lean forward in your chair, lift yourself if that is possible. Training of personnel varies from place to place, but by and large I have found that the staff are considerate and sensitive to my needs while still doing a thorough job. You are entitled to a private screening if you want one, but I never bother. The staff will also swab your chair, hands, and shoes for traces of explosives. Sometimes they “wand’ you and may ask permission to lift your legs off the foot-rests to do this.

We have had some horrendous experiences. One horrible incident where my toddler fell off my lap because I was trying to get my bags done (without assistance) and no one would help him or let my wife back out to pick him up and tend to his bleeding lip. Only fellow passengers came to our assistance. That’s what I mean when I say assume the worst. Staff in some locations are notoriously rude and unhelpful (Dulles International for example, although it seems to be improving over the last six months) while in other locations they are a pleasure to deal with (Baltimore/Washington International for example). My advice about all this is to just do what you can to make their job easier. It is no fun for anyone, and the person you are dealing with doesn’t make the rules. Your goal is to get safely through with minimum stress.

The Flying Circus 3 - The airport

We live too far from the airport to get a taxi, so we usually drive. I drop off the family at the departures door, then park the car and return to meet them. We always give ourselves plenty of time – aim to be at check-in no later than two hours before the flight. Sure you can cut it finer than that, but is the stress and risk of delays worth it?

We do not hang around. We go straight to check-in and then straight to security. The aim is to get “air-side” as fast as possible.

When you check-in tell the check-in person your needs. If you can walk a few steps onto the airplane, say so. If you need an aisle chair (carry-on, straight-back or lift-on are other terms that are used) then say so. If your chair is an electric chair you will need to tell them so that they can follow the appropriate procedures.

When you get your boarding passes, check them to make sure you are all actually seated together. You would be amazed at how often the kids end up seated elsewhere! Pleasant and all as that would be, I don’t recommend it.

If you booked your infant as a lap child, ask the check-in agent if they can block a seat beside you. If the flight is not full they may oblige and you end up getting a free seat for your infant. They will still need to be on your lap for take-off and landing.

Some airlines offer bassinets or cots. Ask at check-in if this is an option and see if you can get one for your baby. This means that the airline will seat you at a bulkhead where the cot can be mounted. This is a mixed blessing. Bulkheads are not great unless you really need them. Because the armrests don’t go up, transferring in and out of the seat can be very difficult. In addition, the extra space allows toddlers to “escape” easily. Our littlest was an active crawler before he could walk. One unfortunate passenger spent most of a transatlantic flight stopping his escapes with a judiciously placed leg as he took advantage of every time we were distracted by the other to slide away and make a break for freedom.

The Flying Circus 2 - Packing

I'm talking here about what you bring onto the plane - not what you pack for your trip. Diapers (nappies), wipes, a change of clothes snacks, sandwiches, drink, books, crayons, small silent toys, a favorite teddy and a blanket or cardigan. And that’s just for the kids! They will get too cold, or too hot.

I used to scoff at my wife for packing enough snacks and sandwiches to feed a small army for every flight, saying that we could get food on-board. I changed my mind after we were stuck on the ground for two plus hours after boarding – not once, but twice. In this limbo between boarding and take-off the airline staff cannot serve food or drink. Two hours in an eternity for a toddler or baby. Had we not had our rations, the children would have gone off the deep end with hunger and frustration. So now I smile benignly as she stuffs her carry-on bag to its limit.

Be alert to the likelihood that whatever book or toy or teddy is brought aboard stands a good chance of being lost unless you are exceptionally vigilant. So if it’s the favorite teddy tie it onto something!

Also, be aware that you cannot bring drinks through security – so plan to buy them on the other side. Other things subject to confiscation are yogurts (the tubes seem to be okay) and play-doh.

The Flying Circus 1 - Booking your flight

Planning for a successful trip begins right at the earliest stage - booking the flights. Don't just go by price. You may save a few dollars up front but believe me, when you have missed your connection in some ice-bound airport at 2am you would happily pay hundreds of dollars to be somewhere else! I book based on connections, airports and times - price has the least input.

Usually I use a search site like www.sidestep.com to find out what airlines fly to where I want to go and to get a feel for the prices. Then I go directly to the airline sites and search by schedule to find the best flights. What I'm looking for is:

Connections:
Preferably none. In fact, always none. Unless there is no direct flight, the risks of taking a connection are too high. I have arrived at one airport while my wheelchair went to another. I have arrived at airports and been left waiting for forty-five minutes before the staff turned up to lift me off the plane. I have had to wheel from one end of an airport to another in an effort to make my gate for the connecting flight. None of this is pleasant when you are travelling alone, but with children the stress levels are just not worth it.

If you do need to make a connection then leave at least two and a half hours between flights. I know that hanging around an airport for two plus hours is no fun, especially with little ones, but anything shorter is really too risky. Consider this – a lot of flights these days take off late (although this trend seems to be improving as airlines cut back on flights and capacity during this downturn). An "on-time departure" to an airline is anything less than fifteen minutes late. Many flights I have been on are between 15 and 45 minutes late leaving the gate. So, assume you will be thirty minutes late taking off. The pilot may or may not make up time so assume you are thirty minutes late landing. Now, everyone on the plane has to get off before you do. I have noticed that, if there are 180 people on the plane, 177 of them will disembark within a few minutes of landing. Two will take another ten minutes. And then there's you. So, about twenty-five minutes after landing you are finally able to transfer to your chair (assuming they deliver it to the gate. I have also had the chair arrive at the right airport, but then get delivered to the baggage hall!) You are now 55 minutes behind schedule, you need to be at the next gate forty minutes before they take off. So you pat yourself on the back for leaving two and a half hours between flights because you now have just under an hour to find your gate, go to the restroom, change diapers, and so on. To be fair, this is the worst case. But I prefer the buffer of time to the rush of adrenalin as you race for a connection with screaming kids in tow.

And all of this planning goes to pieces if your flight is significantly delayed or, worse, cancelled. Really - you don't want to connect if you can possibly avoid it. I will pay a few hundred dollars more to avoid a connection.

Airports:
Small is good. If you want to go to LA, consider Orange county airport. If flying to the Washington D.C. area consider Ronald Reagan (DCA) instead of Dulles. I find the staff are better trained and the airport easier to navigate when it is small. If you are connecting then avoid Northern airports (Chicago, JFK) in winter and Southern airports (Atlanta, Dallas) in Summer - both because of weather delays. Be aware that large sprawling airports (such as ORD) can be very difficult to transfer through quickly if you are in a wheelchair.

Times:
Try to think through the kids' schedule. The important thing is to try to keep the food and nap schedule as close to normal as possible. You will board the plane possibly as much as forty minutes before the scheduled take-off, and the "fasten safety belt" light will be turned off about ten minutes after take-off, which could be about thirty minutes after the plane has left the gate in a busy airport. So that 60 or 90 min period is one in which the kids won't get uninterrupted sleep and you will be unable to feed them properly or change diapers. So try to plan the flights so that these are normal "awake times". This is really difficult to do, but you will be rewarded if you can manage it by kids that are minutely less grumpy than they would be otherwise.

If you can't get ideal times (and who can with schedules?) then think through the consequences of the times. If you are due to take off right at dinner time, arrive early at the airport, go through security and give yourself time to have an early dinner before you board.

If your child is under 2 years old, he can be booked as a “lap child”. This means they don’t get their own seat, but travel on one or the other parents lap. This is worth it as ti saves a significant amount of money – but you have to decide if you can deal with an infant on your lap for the flight. If you do book a seat, remember that you will need a flight approved child-seat for an under two.

Most airlines ask you to call in advance and inform them that you are in a wheelchair and what you requirements are. This is a good idea – although frankly I never do it. But my requirements are minimal as I have a manual chair and can do most of my own transfers. However, if you do call, do not assume that the information you provide will get imparted to the check-in staff, or ground- or air- staff on your flight. It might – but it might not. Incompetence is rife in the airline industry.

The Flying Circus - Introduction

This series of entries is a summary of the lessons learned while flying with a wheelchair, a patient walkie (my wife) and two kids under three. Getting this whole show through an airport and onto an airplane is definitely a circus but we have flown internationally many times with (reasonable) success. And it definitely gets easier the older the kids get! If you use a wheelchair and plan to fly, with or without kids, hopefully these notes will help you!

In 1969 the BBC first broadcast Monty Python's Flying Circus. It exemplified an off-beat, surrealistic sense of humor. Such a sense of the absurd is a valuable skill to have if you are contemplating air travel with two tots and a wheelchair. Anyone who travels in a wheelchair  knows that it is no joke. And anyone who has traveled with tiny children knows that it too is no joke. But combine these and you get a true Flying Circus, complete with performing animals and a clown!

We have made the journey from Washington, D.C. to Dublin, Ireland several times with the kids. We have also flown to San Diego and Aruba. This entry is an attempt to share the (little) advice I can offer after these experiences. I'm not saying that you will be guaranteed a pleasurable and stress free journey if you follow these steps - such a thing is impossible - but they may help ease the pain a little. The following entries cover booking your flight, packing for the flight, dealing with the airport, going through security, boarding the plane,  landing and finally dealing with jet-lag. Note that these notes assume a long-haul flight, possibly over night. Short haul is definitely easier!

El Segundo (Los Angeles, LAX), CA, USA - Hotel (Hilton Garden Inn)

The Hilton Garden Inn LAX/El Segunda is located almost two miles from LAX (Los Angeles International airport) in the business district of El Segunda. These notes are intended to assist wheelchair users considering using the hotel. I do not review hotel facilities except where they impact wheelchair users since there are plenty of sites on-line (e.g.www.tripadvisor.com)  that cover that stuff! This hotel is within easy striking distance of LAX and has free self-parking which is a big advantage in this area.

Level access from parking lot through automatic doors. The lobby and restaurant are fully accessible.

My room on this occasion was a king bed, ADA accessible, with bath. The room was very large with plenty of space to maneuver and just enough furniture. Very comfortable to move around.  The workdesk was of a good size and height and easily reached by wheelchair. Two sockets were mounted on the wall at table height and easy to use. Wired Ethernet in the room worked well (free).

The bed was slightly higher than the wheelchair but still relatively easy to transfer in and out of.  Bedroom closet was fine - split into two, one section for wheelies and one for walkies. A/C controls were at a comfortable height. The TV control was left by the TV and easily accessible. Coffee maker, microwave and fridge were all easily accessible.

The bathroom was large with plenty of turning space. The sink was easy to use, and the toilet was low. Grab bars were well positioned. A plastic seat was left in the bathroom for use if necessary. The bath was low and easy to get in and out of, although the grab bars are positioned high - more for ambulant disabled than for wheelies. The shower was a hand-held rose, on a sliding bar. This was a little high for reaching from the bath but the controls are easy to reach. The towels were placed on a low towel rack and easy to reach.

All in all this room was extremely comfortable and strongly recommended for wheelchair users visiting the area. It is worth noting that there is a Green Line metro station right by the hotel, with an elevator although I did not use the metro myself.

San Diego, CA, USA - Hotel (Holiday Inn, Rancho Bernardo)

The Holiday Inn Rancho Bernardo is located in Rancho Bernardo in the suburbs of San Diego. These notes are intended to assist wheelchair users considering using the hotel. I reviewed the hotel before, here. At that time I gave it 2 out of 5 and it made the "worst three hotels" list - with the dubious honor of being the worst in the United States in terms of a comfortable, wheelchair accessible room. However, it is one of the cheaper hotels in the area so I ended up staying here again. On this occasion I was given a different room, and had a better experience. So this time it gets 3 and a half out of five giving it an average rating of 2.5 points and, to be fair, lifting it out of the "three worst" list.

The property is in two parts. The accessible rooms seem to be in the main part where reception is located. The lobby and breakfast area are fully accessible and there is level access from outside through automatic doors - no ramp necessary.

My room on this occasion was a king bed, ADA accessible, roll-in shower. Having just one king bed instead of the two queens of the last visit made all the difference in terms of space to move around.  The workdesk was of a good size and height with one easily reached socket in the desk lamp. Wifi in the room worked well (free).

The bed was slightly lower than the wheelchair and relatively easy to transfer in and out of.  Bedroom closet was fine. A/C controls were reachable but a little high. The TV control was left by the bed and easily accessible. Coffee maker, microwave and fridge were all usable.

The bathroom was a comfortable size with good turning space (unlike the last time). The sink was easy to use, and the toilet was low. Grab bars were well positioned. The shower had a large plastic shower seat which was tricky to transfer in and out of. The shower also had two hoses. One was a hand-held rose, on a sliding bar with it's own water controls. This was ideally placed for use from the shower seat. Unfortunately the water control had a heat regulator that was set too low so the water never got warm. Since I'm not too keen on cold showers I was unable to use this rose. The other rose is a fixed, wall mounted rose high in the shower. To use it involved dragging the shower seat to the other end of the shower and transferring there was a lot more difficult. Towels were placed on a rack above the toilet and were extremely difficult to reach.

It was a pity about the shower as otherwise this room was not bad - about middle of the road for accessible American hotels (and, to be fair, American hotels tend to be a lot more accessible than elsewhere in the world!). I've removed the hotel from the "three worst" list and recommend that if you are planning to stay here you insist on a King bed, accessible room and avoid the two doubles.

Dublin, ireland - Pub (Shebeen Chic)

The Shebeen on Georges St. in Dublin (http://www.shebeenchic.ie) features live music and bar menu. Access to the pub is level from the street and there is plenty of room to move around. The tables are low and comfortable to sit at. Although the walkie toilets are downstairs, there is an unmarked door on the ground floor which is actually a handicapped toilet. Unfortunately, the establishment stores all the floor-cleaning equipment (mops, buckets etc.) in this toilet making it almost impossible to use if you are in a wheelchair as there is no room to turn.

It could be a great pub but unfortunately I can only say - Avoid!